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Societal challenges have prompted organizations to join together to address difficult and persistent problems such as climate change, poverty, armed conflict, hunger, health, and human trafficking. Collaborative efforts can engage diverse actors and bring to bear the resources and expertise of organizations from multiple sectors to tackle complex social problems (Gray & Purdy, 2018). The challenges of organizing polycentric networks are substantial (Ostrom, 2010), and they are heightened by the cross-level nature of complex social problems, which may be framed locally, regionally, nationally, and globally. Multistakeholder partnerships may occur at large, medium, and small scales of social organization (Gibson, Ostrom & Ahn, 2000) that are interconnected around a common concern. In this talk, I discuss how organizing at multiple levels shapes the roles of stakeholders, the process of engagement, and the impacts that partnerships produce. I identify four design approaches that are linked to greater effectiveness across multi-level networks. Finally, I consider how research can contribute to our understanding of multi-level organizational collaboration to address grand societal challenges.

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Venice School of Management

Ca’ Foscari University of Venice

San Giobbe, Cannaregio 873, 30121

Venice, Italy

 

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NOIS Research Center (2024). All Rights Reserved.